brain, child

June 23, 2008

Out of respect for my mental and emotional health, I'm taking a break from people, and moving back into my head for a little while. In preparation for my social hiatus, I've made a couple of trips to the library, and subscribed to a new magazine--Brain, Child: The Magazine for Thinking Mothers. In addition to the quarterly issues, I also purchased a collection of their greatest hits, all 194 pages of which arrived today.

After reading a couple of the essays while my kids splashed in the kiddie pool at my feet, I dragged them inside, put their clothes back on, and drove to Target to purchase a reading lamp for my bedroom. It's almost like discovering the eighth Harry Potter--I cannot put it down.

An excerpt:

From "Why I Hate Dr. Sears" by Cynthia Eller
(Of course that was the first essay I read. I've got some serious issues with Dr. Sears, and this woman articulated them beautifully and with way fewer cuss words than I would have used.)

Want to stay at home with your kids? Then do it. Do it because you want to and because you can. Want to leave your kids with someone else while you go work, or play, or follow out your own interests? Then do it. Do it because you want to and because you can. If you don't have a choice, do what you must out of necessity, and know that love, real love, matters more than time or money either one, as generations of children from many classes and cultures can attest.
But when you have a choice, don't choose to do what you'd rather not do out of a sense of beleaguered duty. Don't suffer on your children's account. Chances are, they will not thank you for it. Love them, enjoy them, let them see who you are (who you already are, not the Stepford Mom you think you need to be). Given enough time, they will become whoever they will be.